Gaming has conventionally been a social activity for many players. That is, part of the enjoyment of gaming is sharing an exciting experience with others. This can easily be seen at craps tables, sports books, poker tournaments, and other types of gaming. With electronic gaming devices, such as slot machines, this social interaction can be hampered somewhat by the player-machine setup where individual devices typically support only play by a single player. Although players may select gaming machines adjacent to one another, or adjacent gaming stations at a multi-player electronic table, multiple players, e.g., a couple, may not be able to share a casino gambling experience as much as they might like. For example, if the couple selects adjacent gaming machines to play so that each can keep an eye on the other's betting, playing, and any jackpots or bonuses that might result, they typically cannot participate in the other's gaming experience or even focus on their own gaming experience. While this distraction may prevent the other player from fully engaging with his or her own game, it at least provides some semblance of a shared gaming experience.
Gaming tournaments in which multiple players compete against one another are known. In such tournaments, each player bets his or her own money and competes with other players to see who can win the most. While the tournament format involves multiple players, it is typically based strictly on competition, i.e., each player bets his or her own money on separate games to compete against other players whom they may or may not know. Normally the competitors are distributed in a casino, or—at best—side by side on separate gaming devices. Hence, while gaming tournaments provide some interaction between players, this interaction is limited in its ability to provide a rewarding shared gaming experience. Further, while tournaments provide some semblance of competition, this competition can be tempered by the player's intense focus on his or her own gaming results.
Community betting has also increased in popularity. With community betting, two or more players pool their money to play a single gaming machine. With this technique, the players typically all stand near a single gaming device where they deposit their pooled money and take turns initiating the gaming device. Typically, this type of betting is popular for large jackpot type machines, such as Mega-Bucks®, where a max bet is needed to be eligible for the big prize and the prize is large enough that the players can split any winnings and still feel successful. While community betting provides a shared gaming experience, it can quickly lead to boredom by the player not currently placing the wagers. In addition, the shared gaming experience is usually limited to the bond of the pooled money. Hence, there is usually no direct competition or way to compare the wagering results of one player versus the wagering results of the other players.